Remember when you bought your car? How you vowed to keep it clean? Yeah. But, good news: You can return to your yesteryear of vehicular luxury. For less than $250, a detailing shop can transform your ride, inside and out.

If you don't bother to detail or wash your you might lose a little resale value down the line, but probably not much. The reason to have your car detailed or washed is the same reason you comb your hair or wear a clean shirt: to look good.

A basic detailing job takes several hours to complete and usually includes an exterior wash, claying, polishing, and waxing; an interior cleaning; and tire cleaning and treatments. Many shops also provide other services upon request.

While even the best body shops can't undo an accident, our ratings reveal that many shops will get your car back on the road without a hitch. But our ratings also reveal that some shops may compound your misery with lousy work.

Choosing a good shop is an important step toward obtaining quality service, but certainly not the only one. How you deal with your shop and, when you’re involved in accidents, with your insurer, are equally important.